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SAVING WATER

AWARENESS

CAMPAIGN

A PROGRAM MEANT

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

KINGDOM OF MOROCCO

NATIONAL OFFICE OF POTABLE WATER (ONEP)

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SINCE 1984, NATIONAL OFFICE OF POTABLE WATER HAS CAMPAIGNED

TO RAISE PEOPLE'S AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING WATER

In this process, National Office of Potable Water (ONEP) andthe UNDP have launched a new -water saving campaign

meant for young people. It consisted in the organization of aseries of events around a balloon shaped like a drop of water

in the cities of Rabat, Marrakesh and Fez.

WATER, A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

Above and right : Drawings by children

Our limited hydrous patrimony facedwith an ever increasing demandrequiring very costly investments, aswell as the drought Morocco wentthrough in the nineteen eighties, haveenticed the authorities to define astrategy for a rational use of water,and to design a global actionprogramme aiming at saving waterwherever possible (management ofdams and water tables, agriculturaluse, drinking water, industry and soon...).As to drinking water, ONEP haslaunched several projects so as to limitthe wasting of water as far as possible,on an institutional and technical level,as well as on the levels of tariffs andeducation.Aware of the importance of gettingpeople informed as part of the processof controling water wasting, ONEPofficials have, since 1984, launched acampaign targeting the public at large,and using all written and audiovisualmedia and a mailing programmebenefiting the drinking waterconsumers. As regards television, thefirst step included 10 commercialsconveying at the same timefundamental information ontechnology and tariffs, and advice fora better use of a scarce and hard to getresource. The second step involvedtwo commercials meant to raisepeople's awareness, and dealing withpollution and its consequences onwaters likely to be used for humanconsumption. Designed essentially ascartoons, these commercials aremeant to convey these messages, inan entertaining and relaxed fashion.

A PROGRAM MEANT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

The campaign waged by ONEP through messagesconveyed by television, the radio and the writtenpress since 1984, is aimed at the general publicwith a view to enticing people to save water.After studies on the impact of this campaign, itproved necessary to reinforce and complete theprogrammes elaborated to control wasting waterand the conservation of this vital resource.Therefore, ONEP has devised an action to raiseyoung people's awareness of the importance of sa-ving water. It consists in projects meant for stu-dents in primary and secondary schools during1993 and 1994. It is supposed to raise young peo-ple's awareness of the problems related to water,as directly as possible, and then to get their com-mitment to the protection and saving of water.Fully aware of the unparalleled part that a childcan play in a general effort to save water and pre-vent its wasting, ONEP has devised this program-me lasting several years and including manydifferent projects, so as to get young people's fullcommitment in the control of our hydrous patri-mony ; this is an essential condition of our survi-val, and economic and social welfare.Through other projects intended for both adultsand children, ONEP aims at raising tight-proofbarriers against wasting water ; indeed any waterthat is not. wasted today will be used to meet to-morrow's needs. Thus ONEP's purpose is a gene-ral raising of awareness that should lead to thisclear and logical equation ; let's use water for ourvital needs, let's respect it in everyday life, andavoid any form of wasting. Moroccan culture isfraught with models inviting to an almost sacredrespect of water. Teaching our children these prin-ciples means protecting them from any lack of wa-ter. Indeed, we should remember that if we canborrow the present from our children, yet thefuture is entirely theirs.

Above and on the ¡eft : audiences attending conferences.Preceding page and below : drawings by children

WHY YOUNG PEOPLE ?

To speak in terms of figures, young peopleunder twenty represent roughly half the to-tal Moroccan population. If we teach them ata very early age how to save water, we'll killtwo birds with the same stone : we'll reducethe current wasting of water and preservethe future whose adults they will be. Wemust keep in mind that a child is a wholebeing and is spontaneous. Once s/he isconvinced of the merits of an action, s/hewon't be content with applying it strictly ;s/he will also see to it that his elders and hisrelatives apply it too. There is no better cen-sor than a child when s/he is intimatelyconvinced of the validity of a behavior.Her/his obstinacy and tenacity are limitless.That's why one should develop the nume-rous qualities of children so that the will be-come activists, the cornerstone ofwater-saving and respect for the environ-ment.

Ministers and Officials invited for the launching of the campaign.Left : (above) speech by the Residing UNDP Representative, Rabat.

(below) boy reading report.

The campaign to raise young people'sawareness was launched in Rabat on28, 29 October, 1993, and in Marrakeshand Fez on November lrst and 3 rd, 1993,respectively.This big event was inaugurated at BouRegreg Water-processing Plant of ONEP,which supplies Casablanca and Rabatwith water, by the Minister of PublicWorks, Professional and VocationalTraining ; it was attended by theMinisters of Public Health, of Finance,

of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, theAssistant Secretary of State for theEnvironment, the Wali of Rabat, theRepresentatives of UNDP and WHO. Therewere also several personalities from thediplomatic corps accredited in Rabat, andfrom the media as well as ONEP directors.This event included :- contributions by children who read poems,essays and slogans ;- a speech by the UNDP Representative ;- and a speech by the Minister of PublicWorks, Professional and Vocational Training.After these contributions, the guests wereinvited to see an exhibition of hoardingsproduced by ONEP and dealing with varioustopics related to water, and of drawings bychildren, each one showing an awareness ofthe value of water and an instinctive desireto preserve it.Stressing the importance of this vitalresource, the content of these essays andpoems brought about a harmonious slogan,Economisons l'Aliment Universel" EAU.,

that means water in French (someting likeSave our Universal Food).The ceremony concluded with a show ofanchored flights of a 24-meter-high balloonthat had the shape of a drop of water,remindful of the logo chosen for thecampaign. All participants, notably thechildren, seemed to greatly enjoy this show.The balloon, called "Drop of Hope" was anidea of the International Secretariat forWater, that was launched in Rio, Brazil,when the U.N. Conference for theEnvironment and for Development was heldthere in 1992, namely "The Earth Summit".It was chosen as a good mnemotechnicmeans of visualising and educating people.This event gave children an opportunity todisplay their imagination, creativity andawareness of fundamental issues, such aswater.

COVERAGE BT THE MEDIA

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:::::.: Eriptû^ettahce de Var- :so;yic : (Pologne), là"'Goutte de l'Espoir"(montgolfière géante dé¿5 mètres de hauteur), afait escale: jeudi dernier àRabat à Toccasion dulanccmeni dp la campa-gne de Sensibilisation desjjeunfis â l'économie de!l'eau.; Accueillie par les;:élèves des écoles primai-::;•res et ••secondaires • içie;-;-Rabat, l^Tmnistrcs des.:-Travaux publics, de la;Fóimatiqii profession-

lié et de la FormationCadres, de l'Agncul-; ;!, dès Finances, de la:

;é publique, le WU5- ;¡taire d'Etat chargéla Protection që:vironnemeni, le¡entant résident du

au Maroc ainsireprésentants dn

diplomatique|ité à Rabat « d e

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ea CÛUD;, et íjiii••ç.pnstitue ' l'unie.;:'.des-"actions de coopérationque soutient le PNUDdepuis 1^68 avecl'ONFiP, lequel mèïic::depuis 19*2 des campa-

gnes de sensibilisation àl'économie tic l'eau qui sesuivent ut ne se ressem-blent pas.

En effet, celle organi-sée a Rabat avait pourobjectif principal la sen-sibilisation des enfants etdes jeunes (moins de 20ans), représentant envi-ron la moitié de la popu-

Jation marocain*: Ctconsidérés comme lesprincipaux consomma-teurs potentiels de l'eau,à l'importance vitale del'eau et son rôle datisl'alimentation, la préven-tion, la santé et le déve-loppement économique,industriel et agricole.

f.a station Bouregreg

tre d'une manifestation;haute en couleur, pasmoins de six tentes blan-ches, montées sur un jar-din idyllique de plusieurshectares dont le gazon,défiant toute sécheresse,était tout vert. Quant aux,enfants, presents sur teslieux, ils étaient tous frësbien habilles el apparem-ment d'une certaineclasse sutsale.ils venaientde l'American School oudu Lycée Uescartes. Cer-tains d'entre eux ont ravila vedette aux officiels enfaisant notamment de$exposés, voire des poi~mes sur l'eau, un mût quipeut être, selon le jeuneKhalid un sigle : (Econo-miser l'Aliment Uni-versel).

Actuellement, l'eau «tl'électricité se font deplus en plus rares et pré-cieuses. Les deux dépar-tements chargé»directement de la produc-tion eï là; distribution del'énergie électrique ethydrique au Maroc enl'occurrence TONE etl'ONEP. ne peuvent quegérer la pénurie. Pour cefaire, ils agissent sur lademande via des campa-gnes de sensibilisation del'opinion publique. Maisla question qui se pose estla suivante : Jusqu'àquand allons-nous dé-pendre de la pluviométrieíiouí ;avoir de l'eau et del'électricité 7

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All these events around the launchingof the campaign were covered by themedia and reported in the press.1/ TelevisionTV sequences on the campaign werebroadcast on the national channel(RTM) and the second channel (2M).They were shown as part of the newsor in specific programmes. Forinstance, one may mention the timedevoted to these events within theSunday Morning Children Programme(11/07/93) and the director of WaterQuality Laboratory, Mr. Abouzaid'scontribution in the Arabic-spokenprogramme, "Bi al Wadih", on 2Mchannel on Thursday, October 28th,1993.2/ The radioRadio programmes also went on the

air in the form of special broadcastsand interviews with both ONEPofficials and participants in this cam-paign. These programmes werebroadcast in Arabic and French bythe stations of Médi 1 Internationaland RTM.3/The written pressSeveral newspaper and magazinearticles dealt with the campaign. Hereare some titles :• "Drop of Hope stops over inMorocco",• "The Launching of a Campaign toRaise Young People's Awareness ofthe Importance of Saving Water",• "Water May Be A Source ofInspiration".A compilation of some fifty articlesthat covered the event was published.

FUTURE PROJECTS

ONEP now intends to reinforce, diversify and extends its campaign on a national scale, inorder to reach as many primary — and secondary — school students as possible, whoseages range from 10 to 16. Thus, in the first term of 1994, more than 8,000 students will beinvolved in this awareness campaign that is supposed to have a multiplying effect, on theone hand that of students where they live, on the other hand that of teachers with theirother classes.The end of the first part of this project will coincide with the celebration, on March 22nd,1994, of World Day of Water, a day that was chosen at the U.N. after it was proposed bythe Kingdom of Morocco.

To this end, ONEP has devised a judicious andspecific programm, meant for both short and longterms which will follow three main lines.

• INFORMATION - first on the essential role of waterin life in general, particularly as regards food,hygiene, health and development. Then, on themeans used to gather natural water so as to makeit available for consumers as well as to drain, andreturn it to their natural environment.

• TRAINING - in the scientific fields related to water,pollution, and the environment in general.

• EDUCATION - with a view to teaching young peoplehow to use water rationally and to conserve it.

Visiting the Laboratory and Water Quality Sittings.

O.N.E.P.

at the Fair ofThe City for Children

Held in Casablanca16-26 December 1993

The City for Children,

Above ; RH Princess Lalla Meryem with Lalla Soukainavisiting ONEP standRight: One of the best ideas at the Fair.

Organized in six pavilions, a theaterand various green spaces and leisuregrounds, the first Fair of the City forChildren that was held at CasablancaInternational Fair Space, fromDecember 16th to December 26th, 1993,was at the same time a fabulous groundfor discovery, creation and adventurefor children. ONEP was represented intwo pavilions, those of the Environmentand of Health, with a stand in each. Thelatter were undeniably a must in thisFair, because of the numerous activitiesoffered to and organized by children inthem : an exhibition of drawings relatedto water, various competitions in litera-ture, music, drawing, painting also re-lated to water, with prizes awarded,several presentations and games led byprofessionals, and focusing on the diffe-rent aspects of water and the environ-ment.

In O N E P stands,water and environment are at the heart

of games, plays and inspiration

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February 1994

O N E P - Communication Department

P.B. Rabat-ChellahTé!. : 212-7-75-84-38Fax:212-7-75-31-28